During fishing, either trolling or still fishing, it is a common desire among anglers to position fish bait at a particular depth at which it is believed or known that the fish will be swimming. Floats have historically been used in still fishing to hold the bait at a particular depth below the water's surface. However, if the fish swim at a particular level above the bottom of the body of water, the float will not do a satisfactory job if the bottom is not even.
An alternative to the float has been to tie a bait leader and hook at a particular distance above a weight or sinker. Devices are also sold that serve the same purpose. One such device is referred to in the Cabela's 1989 Fishing and Marine Accessories catalogue, p. 46 as "The Bear Paw Line Leader Connection". This device attaches the two lines together using a plug that is inserted into a tapered sleeve to crimp the main fishing line. These approaches put the bait at the desired level above the bottom, but also creates a potential hindrance, if the bottom has uneven rocks or other debris that might snag the sinker, thereby preventing the retrieval of the line, whether or not a fish has taken the bait. The sinker line and the leader can also become tangled during play of a fish.
Various devices have been developed to support the bait above the bottom of the body of water or below the surface of the water. These devices include a freely sliding sinker positioned between a float and the fishing pole, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,572,790 issued to West for "Fishing Float". A device that holds a supply of sinker line to an intermediate point between the pole and bait on a main fishing line is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,269 issued to Metzger for "Trolling Device". This device allows the length of line to the sinker to be adjusted without changing the sinker line.
Coughlin, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,476 entitled "Fish Tackle Floats", describes an elaborate float that allows line to slip past the float, such as when a sinker is dropping to the bottom of a body of water after a cast, before the sinker engages the line to prevent further movement of the line relative to the float.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,984 entitled "Traveler for Fishing Lines", Atton discloses the use of discs removably attachable to a line to act as stops for a float slidably attached to the line. This allows the line to be cast and puts the bait at a desired level below the float stop.
A novel approach to this situation is provided by Jorgensen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,649. The "Fishing Device" described in this patent includes a long tube with a weight attached to the near end. The fishing line passes through the tube to a float attached to the distal end of the line. The line and float hold the tube vertically. The fish leader and bait are attached to the tube at the desired level above the bottom.
As can be seen, such devices are complex and require extensive devices or weights to be attached to the lines. Many, such as those with floats, prevent a direct line of tension between the fishing pole and bait, as is important in order to "set" the hook. In those systems that have separate bait and sinker lines, both lines are extended, even during retrieval of a fish, thereby increasing likelihood of snagging the sinker during retrieval.
The present invention generally overcomes these limitations of fishing devices that hold a fish hook at a selected distance from the end of the fishing line. Further, it does so with a device that is light, unlikely to snag, and which is easily adjustable along the fish line. The invention further provides the capability of retracting the sinker line relative to the bait line, so that the sinker does not hang free to drag on the bottom of the body of water. This results in a direct line of pull between the pole and the sinker and bait.
These features are generally provided by a device for positioning an auxiliary element, such as a leader, along a main line. First and second spaced-apart line restraints restrain lateral movement of respective first and second portions of the main line while allowing substantially free movement along a path defined by the main line. A means is provided for maintaining the first and second line restraints at spaced locations. A surface element coupled to and positioned between the first and second restraints has a surface along which the main line extends when restrained by the first and second restraints, such that as greater tension is applied to the main line, greater force is required to move the main line along the line path over the surface. Finally, a means, coupled to the surface element, secures the auxiliary element to the surface element for movement with the surface element when the surface element is moved relative to the main line.
These features exist in the preferred embodiment of the present invention which secures a bait line to a main line above a sinker attached to the end of a main line during fishing. This embodiment includes a body or rod having a cylindrical outer surface and opposite tapered ends. A main line bore extends from each rod end through the rod and out through a bore side opening in the cylindrical outer surface opposite from the other bore side opening. Each main line bore allows substantially unrestrained passage of the main line. Each bore side opening is closer to the rod end through which the associated bore extends than to the other rod end so that when the main line is placed through the bores, it extends between the two bore side openings in the same general direction as the main line travels through the bores. The main line wraps around the cylindrical outer surface of the rod. An auxiliary channel extends transversely through an intermediate portion of the rod and has oppositely disposed channel side openings positioned closer to one rod end than to the other rod end.
It can be seen that such a device can be made small and lightweight, is easy to manufacture, does not pinch the main fishing line, and yet is easily moved along the fishing line when there is little tension on the line. These and other advantages and features of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings.